[ScrappingForever]

Yeah, 2100 sounds way too high. I eat 1700 and my exercise is much more intense that what you're doing. I would say that maybe you went wrong somewhere in working out the formula? But regardless, if you're comfortable with what you're eating now, and you're seeing the weight come off, then you're right where you want to be. Oh, and slow is perfect! If it's working, don't mess with it!

[Blesha]

About the calorie counting, we have to remember that some people's digestion is so quick that they need more, and with some of us the standard 2000 a day just to keep the body going is enough. I'd rather watch how much I get of the fast carbs than getting all into the calorie thing again. I used to have anorexia, and am not going there ever again.

All those weightwatching programs give me the cringes, but I guess that is due to past experience with dieting. I'm all in with you on the getting fit and healthy though. *nods*

[ScrappingForever]

Yeah, you have to do what's best for your body, and you're right, each body is different. But the bottom line is, for the people trying to lose weight, you have to put in fewer calories than your burning. I don't think I've ever heard about a quick digestion. I know for those of us with higher metabolism, we burn food quicker, and therefore need more calories. But even then, and I'm speaking for me personally, 2000 calories was too much for me to lose any weight. And quite frankly, 2000 calories is a LOT of food for me now. I had a hard time reaching that every day.

The main thing is to work with the numbers, try things out, keep track (it really is impossible to know how much you're eating if you don't keep track daily), and tweak those numbers if necessary.

[MargotW]

<------whew! huffing and puffing! Just started my first Walk the Mile and got half way through. I knew I was out of shape but this is ridiculous! I'm trying hard to motivate myself and convince myself that at 70+ years I need to be fit. I gained 45 pounds after being on Prendisone for 2 years. Now it needs to come off. I started Weightwatchers but am very lax about meetings. I'm having a hard time getting all my points consumed in a day. I basically don't enjoy eating.

I decided to quit lurking on this thread and get active - I need the accountability and the motivation especially with the exercising.

[ChristyVW]

Yeah Margot! Good for you! Yes, even at 70, you should care enough about yourself to be healthy.

I had a discouraging morning. Mondays are my official weight/measurement check. After three great weeks, I had no change this week. It is frustrating, but I am not going to let it derail me. I know these things happen. I am just hoping it is TOM related, yep, that's my story!!

Here is another reason we are doing what we do. This morning, Regan came down as I was getting my breakfast ready. 'What are you having mommy?' Homemade granola, cheerios, milk and blueberries.

So, what did she have for breakfast? Yep! Homemade granola, cheerios, milk and blueberries. Our families, especially our children are watching and emulating us.

[PhotoshopScrapper]

OK gals ... I'm in. I really need to do something. Did my tae-bo this morning for 30 minutes. Very hard after not doing it for a long while. Used to be in much better shape than I am now (who here probably wasn't right ... that's the point).

Anyway, I'm real close to plunking down the money for P90 (trying to talk myself into it). Before it comes, will continue doing what I have.

Thanks for those websites ... they're both bookmarked and I've started logging things.

[ScrappingForever]

You go, Denise! You too, Margot! It is time to take back control of your lives and your bodies. One step at a time, one day at a time. In the beginning, you may need to make that decision to do it every single day until it becomes a habit. All I can tell you is not to think about it too much, or you WILL come up with excuses not to exercise or eat right. Just do it!

Christy, my TOM is my worst week every month. But you're right, don't let it get to you. Just keep doing what you're doing, because it's the best thing for your health, regardless of what the stupid scale says. And always remember, the scale does not tell the whole story. (I've had to tell myself that weeks on end, so I know exactly where you are right now!) And hooray for teaching the kids healthy habits! That is almost so important. Did you know that the Center for Disease Control here in the US has declared obesity an epidemic in our country? 40% of our country is in the obese range, and the part of the population that is seeing the greatest increase in numbers is our kids. The junk we are filling our kids with is scary! Teach them good habits early, and the BEST way to do that is to model it! Sooo proud of you, Christy!

[Shari PV Mom]

Yay Margot and Denise! So glad you're joining us! No matter how little you do to start with it's still more than you were doing before so keep it up! It'll get easier! (I'm telling myself that too!)

Denise ... if you do buy P90 (I'm thinking that might be my next program - and I'll drag dh into that one with me) make sure you go through Jan's website. If you do she'll automatically be assigned as your coach. It's www dot fitclubtoday dot com . I just love having Jan as my coach - she's so inspirational, don't you think? She's been a wealth of information on this thread already and we've only just begun!

Okay ... so I finished my fast THANK GOD! That was so hard! I'm also going off my back surgery pain meds so sleep has been a challenge. Last night was tough. I kept waking up with withdrawal symptoms (4th night so it's getting a little better - hopefully only a couple more nights of that) and also dreamt of food all night long! So annoying! LOL! So I got up and had a whole wheat english muffin before my workout. I was so hungry that even the whole wheat tasted fantastic! I also weighed in this morning and I lost a full 5 pounds over the weekend. I have a feeling some of it might come back since I'll be eating again but I won't weigh again until next Monday so hopefully I'll see some more progress. But like Jan says, the scale is only part of the story. Some of my clothes are already fitting a little bit better!

DH made me a yummy smoothie with a bunch of different colors of fruit and some plain nonfat yogurt. Yummy! Drinking that now.

I did my workout this morning too. It was harder than I thought it would be but I think that's mostly because I just haven't been fueling my body for 2 days. Tomorrow will be easier, I just know it! As far as I can figure out I burned about 496 calories. I'm sure I'll burn more since I've got tons of laundry and picking up of the house to do today. But I don't think I'll be working hard. I'm also planning on going on my usual 2 mile walk with my neighbor this evening. I'm still tired but I have way more energy now than when I woke up this morning.

Keep up the good work ladies!

[ChristyVW]

Great job Shari! After a while, you will prefer the whole grains and think of the great things you are teaching the kiddos!

Workout done this morning - 421 calories burned! I have to say one of the most rewarding feelings for me right now is that I can actually run a mile! 4 weeks ago, I could barely make it 1/4 mile without dying!! LOL! I really don't like running, but time-wise it's a great bang for your buck.

[Blesha]

Sorry, I did mean metabolism. For those with a high metabolism, they might need some extra since their system burns the energy faster.

ScrappingForever, on 17 August 2009 - 07:12 AM, said:

Yeah, you have to do what's best for your body, and you're right, each body is different. But the bottom line is, for the people trying to lose weight, you have to put in fewer calories than your burning. I don't think I've ever heard about a quick digestion. I know for those of us with higher metabolism, we burn food quicker, and therefore need more calories. But even then, and I'm speaking for me personally, 2000 calories was too much for me to lose any weight. And quite frankly, 2000 calories is a LOT of food for me now. I had a hard time reaching that every day.

The main thing is to work with the numbers, try things out, keep track (it really is impossible to know how much you're eating if you don't keep track daily), and tweak those numbers if necessary.

[Julie - scrapaholic]

Hi ladies,

Count me on on this. I've been on WW for a while now. Went off track during my depression stage, but have been back on track since, I have been mentally better. I found a gym right by me, that only charges $10.00 per month, so even with my unemployment, I joined it.

I also joined Costco, and have been getting my meat and veggies from there in bulk, and cooking my meals for the week and freezing them, so I have them made, and no excuses, such as "Don't feel like cooking". Don't have to cook, just pop a frozen meal in the microwave, and low fat meal it is. I've been making all my meals from a WW cookbook I bought at my last weigh in. The meals are delicious, and you wouldn't even know there low fat. When DH is home, he is clueless as to the fact that these are lowfat meals. Even the mexican ones I have cooked for him, he has no idea. Now that's good, if I can fool a Mexican right?

I've been only doing the aerobics at the gym, working my way up to using some of the equipment. Wanted to build up my stamina and flexibility first. My friends husband is going to show me the equipment next week, so I can start toning.

Another thing that I have been doing, is keeping a journal. EVERYTHING, and I do mean everything I stick in my mouth gets written. You would be surprised, at how much little munching you do during the day, that you might not think makes a difference.

One more thing I do. If I can walk to where I need to go, I'm walking. No more car. I save money on gas, and get the excercise in that I need. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life when I reach 50 in September 2010.

[PBarnes]

I'm really excited to see how many people are joining in the quest for our better selves! It sounds like everybody is quite committed. Glad you've joined us Julie! Thanks Jan, for being here for tips and inspiration.

I had a glucose control protein shake for breakfast and then took a brisk walk for 45 minutes. My walk was a good deal more intense than I've been doing - and longer.

Keep up the good work everybody!

[Cheri T]

Blesha, on 16 August 2009 - 12:57 PM, said:

About the wholewheat pasta. It's better for you because it has more fiber, but when it comes to carbohydrates there is very little (if any) difference. Still, it is better to eat the wholewheat when you are to have pasta.

We've cut down on pasta, rice and potatoes. Pretty often we will just have meat/chicken/fish and vegetables. On it we will either have some butter or sauce. We just limit the amount of sauce when we have that. Fat is not bad, as long as we have a normal amount. We use real butter instead of the "fake" stuff (margarine with lots of E's in it) when we make sauce. Making dressings with olive oil is good too.

Not sure if anyone has pointed this out yet, but while the numbers of carbohydrates may not be different in the whole wheat versus white, the carbohydrates are more complex, and healthier. For example, a diabetic may get too high of blood sugar after a meal of white pasta, but not so much after whole wheat pasta.

[scrappinchar]

Well...I need to add this thread to my "watched" threads.
I also need to go back through it and write down the sites mentioned. Is Chalean a DVD workout?

I feel the inspiration growing...

[Shari PV Mom]

Have you walkers checked out www dot mapmyrun dot com?? You can put in your address (or starting point address) and plug in your route and it will tell you the exact distance! You can even click on a button and it'll give you topography graph! How cool is that?

OMG! My breakfast this morning is so good! I'm not one who usually like to cook my breakfast but I just had to try this one. Here's the recipe ...

Mushroom-Swiss Omelet
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
4 large egg whites
3/4 oz (1/3 cup) finely shredded or thinly sliced swiss cheese

Place a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Lightly mist with the olive oil spray. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring occassionally, for 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and any excess moisture is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

In a small bowl, whisk egg whites with a fork until they bubble lightly.

Place a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly mist with the olive oil spray. Add the egg whites and cook, lifting the edges with a spatula as they start to set and tipping the pan to allow the uncooked whited to run underneath, for 4-6 minutes or until almost set. Flip the omelet. Arrange the mushrooms and cheese evenly over half the omelet. Flip the bare half over the filled half and continue cooking until the cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to serving plate. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

Makes 1 serving.
131 calories
23 g protein
3 g carbohydrates
3 g fat (2 g saturated)
8 mg cholesterol
trace fiber
323 mg sodium

[PBarnes]

OMG Shari, thanks for sharing that website. As I was walking this morning, I was just thinking that I wished there was a way, other than driving the car around my route, to figure out how much distance I'm doing. I'm going to go check that out.

Not crazy about mushrooms so I'll pass on the recipe.

[podiumchick]

It looks like we are getting a good group here! Using the calorie counter at MFP is eye opening!! Oh boy. I keep working on making good choices. Easy at home, not so easy out. I see I can really top out my carb allowance pretty quickly--and they are all good carbs. I also notice I run a little low on the protein. Gonna tweak daily til I get a good balance.

Now to get the body out of bed for a workout in the AM. It may have to fall into the after school time period--my kids all run cross-country so I would have time to work out before picking them up.

I'm so glad for all the encouragement here!

[Silly]

Count me in! Jan and Theresa K have been inspiring me through their Facebook postings for awhile so I've gotten a bit of a head start - had to buy a 14 back in May for an event and said that's it! Since then I've lost 14 LBs and can actually get into some of my 10s!!!!

I agree with Jan, portion control is a big part of it - buying a scale was a huge eye opener - I've gotten better at judging but initially eyeballing it meant eating twice as much as an actual portion. I also went semi-vegetarian - fish and some dairy but no red meat. And since I've started eating 5 meals a day @ 1400 calories (initially it was 1800, then 1600) I find I don't crave sweets or junk food at all.

I was always pretty active aerobically (biking, walking, running) so I'm starting to add weight circuits to my routine - ChaLEAN is a bit out of my budget right now but I have some FIRM DVDs for lower and upper body that I've been doing and I also went back to my Fitness Kickboxing class once a week - we do a lot of punching, kicking, weights, and ab work for an hour.

I still try to find excuses not to exercise, so I'm not there yet, and this board will help keep me motivated.

Here is one of my favorite recipes (It's only for one serving since I'm doing this alone so you'll have to adjust accordingly):
ngredients
3 ounces spaghetti, dry (I use sprouted pasta - love it!)
3 ounces snow pea pods, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced sodium
1/8 teaspoon ginger, fresh, chopped
1/2 dry cup soybeans, green (edamame), frozen
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon nuts, cashews, dry roasted, unsalted
1/2 cup mandarin oranges, canned in juice, drained


Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding pea pods to boiling water during the last minute of cooking time.
Meanwhile, stir together sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger in a medium to large serving bowl.
Thaw edamame (soy beans), wash and chop onions, and add both to the bowl.
When pasta and peas are done cooking, drain well and toss with the beans and sauce. Sprinkle with cashews. Serve immediately.
Enjoy mandarin oranges for dessert.

[Julie - scrapaholic]

I walk mostly on a treadmill, so miles and calories burned are posted. Makes it a lot easier.

Shari, think I will have to make that breakfast tomorrow morning. Sounds good. I use light butter from Land of Lakes too, and low fat cheese. When added to things like an omelet you really can't tell the difference.

[Laurie in PA]

Tonight's dinner - I cut up a chicken breast, a small zucchini, a small yellow squash and cooked. I wanted to add some
diced tomatoes, but I didn't have any so I added a can of Rotel,some seasoning and mild taco sauce. We had it over brown rice. I was really good, but a little too spicy for me, so I added some fat free sour cream.

My DH really liked it and is taking the left overs for lunch.

[ScrappingForever]

Woo-hoo, look at our group grow! Isn't this exciting, Shari! Look what you started!

Cheri - thank you for pointing that out about the white pasta vs. whole grain. Everyone should try to stay away from things made with refined white flour or sugar. They have next to no nutritional value and will just shoot your blood sugar levels up.

Hi Charlene! Yes, ChaLEAN Extreme is a set of workout DVDS - both cardio and strength training. They are extremely effective and Chalene Johnson, the trainer in the videos, is the absolute best!

Kim - isn't it amazing to see just how much you do eat! Yeah , eye-opening for sure. This is an education process in so many ways, isn't it! Sounds like you have the when to exercise thing figured out. Do it when it works best for you, just be sure to do it. The thing is to be consistent, and make it as much a necessity for your body's fitness as washing your face at night and brushing your teeth every day. It's essential.

So glad to have you here, Silly! And so glad that Theresa and I have been inspiring you! You have no idea how thrilling that is to me! Sounds like you're making great progress, and that you know exactly what you need to do to keep going! Way to go!

I love that everyone is posting their recipes and what they eat. That is so helpful for when we might get stuck or bored with what we've been eating. For my snack this afternoon I had a piece of whole grain bread, toasted, with a TBSP of natural peanut butter and a TBSP of Polaners All Fruit Jelly, and an 8 oz glass of milk. Simple and yummy!

I wanted to say something else about why we're here, especially for those of us with young kids. Yes, we are here to lose weight and look and feel better. That is a HUGE part of it. But one of the side benefits is the atttiude you're passing on to your kids about food and exercise. You're not just teaching them that eating right and exercise is important. You're also teaching them the right attitude about food and exercise. This isn't something we do because we HAVE to, or we SHOULD. It's what we do because it's the right thing to do. I brush my teeth and wash daily to take care of my body. I eat right, exercise and take vitamins to take care of my body. Also, the attitude about food is soooo important! Food isn't a crutch. Food isn't there for comfort when we're feeling sad. Food shouldn't be there as a reward for good behavior or be taken away for bad behavior. Food is fuel. Period. We need it to run our bodies. When we eat properly our bodies run and perform efficiently. When we don't eat properly, we are sluggish and moody and our skin breaks out! Yuck! Yes, we can enjoy eating, and hopefully what we're eating tastes good as well, but in the end, it's just fuel to make our bodies the best they can be so we can have fun doing all of the things we want to be able to do, and to live long, healthy lives.

Okay, getting down off of my soapbox now. I hope I'm not boring you with all of my rantings.

[Silly]

For all you busy Moms - here is a fun website that offers up exercises like Laundry Legs, Dish Lifts, and Shampoo Presses - it's called squeezeitin.com and their motto is Life is a Gym - Work it Out!

[ChristyVW]

What a fun thread this is becoming!

Jan, get on your soapbox anytime you want!

Today was a good day for me. My secret snack weapon? 100 calorie bags of Microwave popcorn. I actually feel like I ate something when I have these...it isn't gone in two bites like anything else that is 100 calories!! LOL! I love to have these for my nighttime snack...well, after dinner snack...not too close to bedtime...cuz Jan says that's bad...don't eat too close to bedtime!!

Hey...this guy could be our official smiley!!

[mimes1]

OK - I'm in! Have both the Type 2 and the P90. we are definitly eating better, but haven't hit that play button .....yet. We are eating much better and even had whole wheat spaghetti for dinner.
I'm much more motivated after reading all this.

[Shari PV Mom]

Yay Amy! Welcome to the Fit Club Thread! Way to go Christy! I love those bags of popcorn too!

[PhotoshopScrapper]

Okey dokey ... did 35 minutes of tae-bo this morning (added 5 minutes from yesterday). Triatholon training says I burned 499 calories (could this really be true??). Only went over my calorie target by about 100 yesterday so pretty good. I also added alli to my program (I'll take any boost I can get).

Today's agenda involves walking around six flags with my DD and her friend. I'll probably get on some of the coasters with them (cause I love coasters). Cooling down, then breakfast and a shower.

Later ladies!

[podiumchick]

Just did Burn Circuit 3. I'm moving on to Push next week. I've been so intermittent that it is hard to find 30 days of Burn, but I'm getting close! Shoulders are a little shaky! I've been close on the food these last two days and learning more about what I'm eating. I like MFP better than the calculators on Weight Watchers. If I'm high on fats (like I was yesterday), I can choose a lower fat option for a snack--or vice versa (like I was on Sunday!)

[ChristyVW]

Way to go you early morning girls!! My kiddos are finishing breakfast and then we are off to the gym!!

MFP does seem very easy to use, love it. Yesterday, I needed to figure out how many calories in a recipe that I made. I went to a blank day and entered all of the individual ingredients. This gave me a total for the whole recipe. Divided the total by the number of servings from the recipe and then created my own, new food item! Worked like a charm!

[Silly]

Wow, nice going early girls!!!! My morning started with my Sun Salutation (Yoga) routines...It's the only way I can face morning rush (school started today) and work...LOL. I'll be painting the porch tonight if the weather holds up or it's to the spare room for some weight circuit.

[PhotoshopScrapper]

podiumchick, on 18 August 2009 - 07:14 AM, said:

Just did Burn Circuit 3. I'm moving on to Push next week. I've been so intermittent that it is hard to find 30 days of Burn, but I'm getting close! Shoulders are a little shaky! I've been close on the food these last two days and learning more about what I'm eating. I like MFP better than the calculators on Weight Watchers. If I'm high on fats (like I was yesterday), I can choose a lower fat option for a snack--or vice versa (like I was on Sunday!)

Have to ask ... what's MFP???